Coalition wants privacy included with healthcare IT funding in stimulus package

WASHINGTON The Coalition for Patient Privacy urged Congress Wednesday to include privacy safeguards with any funding earmarked for healthcare IT in an economic stimulus package expected to hit President-elect Barack Obama’s desk shortly after inauguration.

The bipartisan coalition, representing more than 30 organizations, individual experts and the Microsoft Corporation, said trust is essential to public adoption of healthcare IT…

…Ashley Katz, executive director of Patient Privacy Rights, said the coalition is asking for “very basic, common sense protections.”

“We all want to innovate and improve healthcare. But without privacy, our system will crash as any system with a persistent and chronic virus will,” she said. “Americans will avoid participation or, worse, avoid care altogether and undoubtedly misrepresent the truth about their medical history.”